The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Bruno is initially upset about moving to "Out-With" (never identified, but cf. Auschwitz[citation needed]) and leaving his three best friends for life, Daniel, Karl, and Martin. His mother, who is against the move herself, says that they "[do not] have the luxury of thinking". From the house in Out-With, Bruno sees a camp enclosed by wire fences but does not understand what it is. Bruno is very bored in his new house, with no friends to play with and nothing in the house to explore. One day, despite being warned not to, Bruno decides to explore the strange wire fence. As he walks along the fence, he meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel, whom he learns shares his birthday. Shmuel says that his father, grandfather, and brother are with him on this side of the fence, but he is separated from his mother. Bruno and Shmuel talk and become very good friends, although Bruno still does not understand very much about Shmuel and his side of the fence. As the meetings go on, Bruno's naïvete shows that his innocence has been preserved despite being near a death camp. Shmuel shares some of his knowledge of the suffering in the camp but still does not fully explain why he is there.